20" LCD Monitors Roundup. Part IV. Page 26

With this article I’m willing to introduce to you a few new models of 20" LCD monitors from different brands. You’ll find here monitors for work and for the home, affordable and not quite, with new widescreen matrixes as well as with the classic aspect ratio of 4:3. We will talk about 13 solutions from Asus, BenQ, Dell, HP, LG, NEC, Philips, Samsung and Viewsonic.

Conclusion

The monitors described in this review fall into four groups that almost do not overlap in terms of intended applications and price. There are leaders and losers in each group.

The junior segment includes models based on TN matrixes without Response Time Compensation. These monitors are intended for office applications. They can’t boast wide viewing angles or a fast response, but some of them can excel in other parameters. As a result, the HP L2045w takes first place among them, and the LG Flatron L204WT is second. The BenQ FP202W V2 is the worst one in this group, having a fantastically poor setup of color temperature modes and unable to produce a really sharp image.

The next level is occupied by models with TN matrixes that have Response Time Compensation. There are two such models in this review: ASUS MW201u and Samsung 206BW. These are home monitors capable of handling any games or movies. It’s hard to single out a leader between them. The ASUS has a more accurate setup but also problems with ergonomics while the Samsung is much easier to use but has a sloppy setup of the RTC mechanism.

Next go models with widescreen *VA and S-IPS matrixes that are dramatically different from the two previous groups with their superb viewing angles. If you need a monitor with good color reproduction, on which the colors of your favorite photo won’t distort if you move your head about, this group is the minimum you should care to consider. The Dell 2007WFP is a definite leader. The NEC 20WGX2 costs more but has a number of minor drawbacks. The ASUS PW201 is distinguishable for its looks rather than for good technical characteristics.

Finally, there are monitors with S-IPS, S-PVA and MVA matrixes with a screen aspect ratio of 4:3. These monitors suit better than widescreen models for CAD/CAM programs, for multi-monitor configurations, etc. There is an obvious loser among the three reviewed models of this category. It is the ViewSonic VP2030b that failed the test of color temperature setup but had quite acceptable results in the other tests. It’s hard to choose between the Philips 200P7ES and Dell 2007FP because both deliver good characteristics and are free from serious drawbacks. You can buy any of them – and you won’t be disappointed.